The Gift of Dyslexia 
asked by jrivera on November 4, 2006 6:51 AM
Audio CD version of The Gift of Dyslexia (Perigee; ISBN: 039952293X), read by the author.
At the age of 38, Ronald D. Davis made a discovery about perception that enabled him to read a book cover to cover -- for the first time. The methods he devloped have helped thousands of children and adults around the world to overcome reading, writing, study and attention problems. This audio version explains the concepts of Davis Dyslexia Correction (R) for people who would rather listen than read.
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08-05-06 (Holly O'Dwyer)
The Gift of Dyslexia: Why some of the smartest people can't read and how they can learn.
by Ronald D. Davis with Eldon M. Braun Published by Ability Workshop Press, Burlingame,California, USA 1994.
Do you know what Leonardo da Vinci, Hans Christian Andersen, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Greg Louganis, Cher, Whoopi Goldberg, and General George Patton all have in common? They are all talented and dyslexic.
Dyslexic children are often negatively labeled as slow and/or learning disabled. This isn't the case. People are dyslexic due to their genius sprouting forth between three and six months of age. Upon seeing mother's elbow, the infant is able to imagine his mother entirely. When a part of an object is seen, the imagination is able to look at the object from all points of view. The baby can also take apart something in their mind, such as a cat rolled into a ball. This forms the entire object in the infant's mind. These babies cry very seldom, probably because their brains are constantly busy.
Dyslexia is the imagination hard at work, seeing 100 to 2000 images in one second, while the average person thinks with approximately four words per second. When a child thinks in images versus words, their brains develop nonverbal processes of communication, while average children develop verbal processes of communication.
In school, learning to read requires verbal communication. Letters and words are difficult to interpret when a person has only learned to think in images. The letters on the chalkboard don't make sense, no matter what angle the child sees them at. Some dyslexics never learn to read. Others concentrate harder, which makes the letters disorient even more. When sitting in a stopped car and the vehicle next to you moves, sometimes you feel as though you are the one moving. This is disorientation.
To aid the dyslexic in everyday activities such as reading, writing, and arithmatic, it is vital the person learns how to turn the disorientation off and on. The book explains the Davis Orientation Counseling techniques. They include many different steps, trying to aid the dyslexic to look at things from one viewpoint only. This is difficult to do, because all their life they have looked at things from about 2,000 different angles within mere seconds. It is important to follow the steps concisely, as not to disorient the person more than they already are. To learn the alphabet, Ronald D. Davis recommends shaping each letter, lowercase and uppercase, using clay. This is how he learned the alphabet.
I found the first half of the book very difficult to read. I felt as though I were disoriented, and the concepts were difficult to grasp. Halfway through the book, these thought processes began to come together. I have a new respect for people with learning disabilities. Those who don't get the help they need often struggle unnecessarily through their entire life. Others learn different ways of avoiding their disabilities, such as asking others to read things aloud to them.
Dyslexics are people who use their brain nonverbally instead of verbally. They see things from all different angles, which often makes them geniuses. Teaching institutions often misunderstand dyslexics, labeling them as slow or learning disabled. If a dyslexic receives the training he/she needs, I believe many would surpass the average person in school. All special education and early education teachers should be required to read this book.
The Gift of Dyslexia: Why some of the smartest people can't read and how they can learn.
by Ronald D. Davis with Eldon M. Braun Published by Ability Workshop Press, Burlingame,California, USA 1994.
Do you know what Leonardo da Vinci, Hans Christian Andersen, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Greg Louganis, Cher, Whoopi Goldberg, and General George Patton all have in common? They are all talented and dyslexic.
Dyslexic children are often negatively labeled as slow and/or learning disabled. This isn't the case. People are dyslexic due to their genius sprouting forth between three and six months of age. Upon seeing mother's elbow, the infant is able to imagine his mother entirely. When a part of an object is seen, the imagination is able to look at the object from all points of view. The baby can also take apart something in their mind, such as a cat rolled into a ball. This forms the entire object in the infant's mind. These babies cry very seldom, probably because their brains are constantly busy.
Dyslexia is the imagination hard at work, seeing 100 to 2000 images in one second, while the average person thinks with approximately four words per second. When a child thinks in images versus words, their brains develop nonverbal processes of communication, while average children develop verbal processes of communication.
In school, learning to read requires verbal communication. Letters and words are difficult to interpret when a person has only learned to think in images. The letters on the chalkboard don't make sense, no matter what angle the child sees them at. Some dyslexics never learn to read. Others concentrate harder, which makes the letters disorient even more. When sitting in a stopped car and the vehicle next to you moves, sometimes you feel as though you are the one moving. This is disorientation.
To aid the dyslexic in everyday activities such as reading, writing, and arithmatic, it is vital the person learns how to turn the disorientation off and on. The book explains the Davis Orientation Counseling techniques. They include many different steps, trying to aid the dyslexic to look at things from one viewpoint only. This is difficult to do, because all their life they have looked at things from about 2,000 different angles within mere seconds. It is important to follow the steps concisely, as not to disorient the person more than they already are. To learn the alphabet, Ronald D. Davis recommends shaping each letter, lowercase and uppercase, using clay. This is how he learned the alphabet.
I found the first half of the book very difficult to read. I felt as though I were disoriented, and the concepts were difficult to grasp. Halfway through the book, these thought processes began to come together. I have a new respect for people with learning disabilities. Those who don't get the help they need often struggle unnecessarily through their entire life. Others learn different ways of avoiding their disabilities, such as asking others to read things aloud to them.
Dyslexics are people who use their brain nonverbally instead of verbally. They see things from all different angles, which often makes them geniuses. Teaching institutions often misunderstand dyslexics, labeling them as slow or learning disabled. If a dyslexic receives the training he/she needs, I believe many would surpass the average person in school. All special education and early education teachers should be required to read this book.
reviewed by fusionz on November 21, 2006 12:32 PM
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First, should Mr. Davis ever read this, let me first extend my most sincere, heartfelt thanks for using your painful life experiences to help others. Thank God you were able to find a way to not only help yourself but were willing to pass that knowledge along!!
Second, if you are a teacher who thinks this book and/or program couldn't "possibly" apply to your students because, "They're not mirroring their writing" or "They're not showing reversals like a dyslexic would" you REALLY need to open your mind and read this book to realize that the least common (yet, unfortunately, most known) symptom of dyslexia comes in the form of reversals. If your phoenetic teaching doesn't seem to be working for extremely bright kids (or is working slowly but surely), PLEASE, for their sake, consider implementing this program!!
Finally, I swear that Mr. Davis wrote this book specifically for my 6 1/2 year old son. My son's IQ was tested in the superior range. He showed extremely early verbal capabilities and has frightened me with his intelligence many, many times. He is one of the smartest people I have ever known, but he can barely read to save his life! My step son, on the other hand, has Asperger's Syndrome - he has zero common sense, can barely carry a conversation, lacks independent thought, etc. - yet, he can pick up anything and sound it out to read it with about 85% accuracy (he just turned 6). Having both boys in my home has underlined my son's reading problems. He has an IEP and is is learning support for his reading and writing. Yet his LS teacher *still* claims my son can't be dyslexic b/c he barely reverses his letters. Ugh! Show my son the word "Man" and he'll say "Guy" - show him the word "boy" and he'll say "Kid". If that isn't a person thinking in pictures, I don't know what is!!
Anyway, we are going to participate with a Davis instructor this summer and I can hardly wait! The assessment showed my son is clearly an excellent candidate and she actually had him spelling his middle name (Alexander) backwards and forwards within five minutes (he couldn't even spell it nor would he try before she had him do it in clay). That showed me beyond any doubt that this program is the best thing to come along for our family and is definitely the answer to our problems when it comes to my extraordinarily bright child's inability to read.
Thanks again, Ronald Davis!! God bless you!!
If you are a parent, grandparent, caregiver, child care worker - anyone who has the opportunity to help a bright child who is struggling with reading - please consider purchasing this book to see if the reason YOUR bright child can't read is because of dyslexia (regardless of what the school says!). It certainly cannot hurt and might just be the key to open the door for them!
Second, if you are a teacher who thinks this book and/or program couldn't "possibly" apply to your students because, "They're not mirroring their writing" or "They're not showing reversals like a dyslexic would" you REALLY need to open your mind and read this book to realize that the least common (yet, unfortunately, most known) symptom of dyslexia comes in the form of reversals. If your phoenetic teaching doesn't seem to be working for extremely bright kids (or is working slowly but surely), PLEASE, for their sake, consider implementing this program!!
Finally, I swear that Mr. Davis wrote this book specifically for my 6 1/2 year old son. My son's IQ was tested in the superior range. He showed extremely early verbal capabilities and has frightened me with his intelligence many, many times. He is one of the smartest people I have ever known, but he can barely read to save his life! My step son, on the other hand, has Asperger's Syndrome - he has zero common sense, can barely carry a conversation, lacks independent thought, etc. - yet, he can pick up anything and sound it out to read it with about 85% accuracy (he just turned 6). Having both boys in my home has underlined my son's reading problems. He has an IEP and is is learning support for his reading and writing. Yet his LS teacher *still* claims my son can't be dyslexic b/c he barely reverses his letters. Ugh! Show my son the word "Man" and he'll say "Guy" - show him the word "boy" and he'll say "Kid". If that isn't a person thinking in pictures, I don't know what is!!
Anyway, we are going to participate with a Davis instructor this summer and I can hardly wait! The assessment showed my son is clearly an excellent candidate and she actually had him spelling his middle name (Alexander) backwards and forwards within five minutes (he couldn't even spell it nor would he try before she had him do it in clay). That showed me beyond any doubt that this program is the best thing to come along for our family and is definitely the answer to our problems when it comes to my extraordinarily bright child's inability to read.
Thanks again, Ronald Davis!! God bless you!!
If you are a parent, grandparent, caregiver, child care worker - anyone who has the opportunity to help a bright child who is struggling with reading - please consider purchasing this book to see if the reason YOUR bright child can't read is because of dyslexia (regardless of what the school says!). It certainly cannot hurt and might just be the key to open the door for them!
reviewed by skywalker on November 26, 2006 2:17 PM
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This book is well written. I would recomend this publication to anyone who has a Dyslexic family member or is Dyslexic themselves. It allows for greater understanding of The Gift and methods to unlock its assets.
reviewed by shagdag on November 28, 2006 8:10 AM
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One of the most readable and accessible tomes on the subject. I found it a great help and bought copies for my kid's teachers. Buy this book.
reviewed by james58 on November 29, 2006 9:58 AM
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Dear Ron -- I wish I could express how much your book The Gift of Dyslexia has meant to me. It is like you showed me the missing parts of my life and now they fit in the right places. I'm so grateful for your research. Most books about dyslexia are not written to dyslexics - but yours resonated with me. Your simple explanation of the nature of `intuitive thought' and how a dyslexic knows the answers without knowing why connected my life the same way in the movie The Empire Strikes Back when Luke Skywalker musters the courage to fight but Darth Vader steps back and says: "You can't kill me, Luke ...I'm your father!" suddenly you understand back over three episodes why Vader never killed his son, you understand why Obi-Wan Kenobi was worried about Luke and the force - It's that kind of powerful understanding. Sorry I have to write using an analogy but it the way my brain works.
Other book insight - Your book explained why as an army Ranger pointman (LCo 75th Rangers 101st ABN) I knew where the enemy would be without being able to explain why. Dsylexia saved my life and the lives of my men. This book should be mandatory reading for every teacher, parent, writer, solider and anyone who thinks they may me dyslexic or ADD. I've ordered books for all my friends, clients and anyone interested in the subject.
Thank you again for your gift.
Regards,
Larry Chambers
PS: I almost forgot, today I'm a writer. Why tell you this becuase I couldn't read with comprhension until college. This year I'll top 1000 magazine articles and 50 published books. I created a ghostwriting business for those University of Chicago types that can't write below a PhD level and wonder why no one understands them. I'm currently finishing a book written in the style of a memoir and without saying or explain dyslexia showing it's effect and the resulting `shame' from growing up thinking your less than everyone one else.
Other book insight - Your book explained why as an army Ranger pointman (LCo 75th Rangers 101st ABN) I knew where the enemy would be without being able to explain why. Dsylexia saved my life and the lives of my men. This book should be mandatory reading for every teacher, parent, writer, solider and anyone who thinks they may me dyslexic or ADD. I've ordered books for all my friends, clients and anyone interested in the subject.
Thank you again for your gift.
Regards,
Larry Chambers
PS: I almost forgot, today I'm a writer. Why tell you this becuase I couldn't read with comprhension until college. This year I'll top 1000 magazine articles and 50 published books. I created a ghostwriting business for those University of Chicago types that can't write below a PhD level and wonder why no one understands them. I'm currently finishing a book written in the style of a memoir and without saying or explain dyslexia showing it's effect and the resulting `shame' from growing up thinking your less than everyone one else.
reviewed by motivations on November 29, 2006 1:54 PM